Frequent Ear Infections
Avoid Antibiotics and Surgery by talking to Dr. Trembush about your or your child’s ear infections. Doctors of chiropractic are licensed and trained to diagnose and treat patients of all ages and will use a gentler type of treatment for children.
Preventing Ear Infections
Doctors say there are ways to help keep your child from getting ear infections, or at least from getting so many of them. Here are a few of their suggestions:
- Breast feed children for at least six months, so they can reap the benefits of the mother’s immunity.
- Decrease the child’s exposure to cigarette smoke and to other children who may be sick.
- Wash hands before and after caring for the child, whether or not they’re sick.
- Keep the child’s immunizations up to date.
- Keeping your child’s spine free from spinal subluxations will help your child’s natural defenses against disease. This will help you avoid drugs with all their side effects. Give your child the great advantage of this safer, more natural, non drug form of health care.
Caring for Ear Infections
If you child does get an ear infection there are a few simple things you can do to make them fell a little more comfortable.
- The first is to apply a warm washcloth over the ear leaving it on until it cools several times a day.
- Also by placing your child in an upright position when they are going to sleep can help to relieve some of the pressure placed on the ear.
Ear Infections and Chiropractic
Ear pain is the number one reason for child visits to chiropractors. Many chiropractors believe that there is a strong link between the birthing process and recurrent ear infection, also known as otitis media. During the birthing process, cervical (neck) vertebrae can become misaligned, disrupting nerve function, which can affect the eustachian tube. This may lead to fluid buildup in the middle ear and cause otitis media.
Ear infection or otitis media accounts for over 35% of all pediatrician visits in the United States. Antibiotics, the usual treatment, are not always effective and may even lead to a recurrence of ear infections. Many children are dealing with a continuing cycle of repeat ear infections, which lands them back at the pediatrician for more antibiotics. For nearly 100 years, the chiropractic profession has claimed that ear and other upper respiratory infections respond favorably to chiropractic adjustments. Procedures include techniques that help to allow for better drainage of the fluid built up in the middle ear. Also – as safe as the techniques are, your child is likely to cry. This is because they are not comfortable with what is going on and not because of pain like when they get a shot.
Causes of Ear Infections
An ear infection usually develops by fluid accumulating within the middle ear space, when the Eustachian tube, becomes blocked. It is often due to swelling and congestion of the nasal lining that occurs during a cold or with seasonal allergies.
There are other factors that make children more susceptible to ear infections. These include the following:
- exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke
- exposure to other sick children, as in a daycare situation
- drinking from a bottle in bed
- use of pacifiers
- prematurity
Chiropractic Adjustments Can Help
More and more parents are beginning to look to chiropractors to complement their children’s health care. Chiropractic care involves diagnosing spinal misalignments and correcting them by adjusting the spine. A slight pressure is most commonly used with children rather than the more forceful manipulation sometimes used with adults.
Chiropractors attempt to get to the root cause of a health problem rather than just treat the symptoms. Misalignments of the spine (also called subluxations) can occur during childbirth, from tumbles or falls, or from any other normal activity. Misalignments left untreated can irritate the nerves and eventually disrupt the body’s ability to function properly. The purpose of a chiropractic adjustment is to help to restore the normal functioning of the nervous system so the body can heal itself without the use of drugs or surgery.
